The Hand of Fate
by AuroraEssence
Summary: "Most people believe that life is unpredictable. No one's life is set in stone or predestined. Anything can happen at any moment that can change your life forever.' Well, I believe it was the hand of fate that made us meet in that alley that day...because you did change my life forever. And I never will forget you even if it is your destiny to leave."


**The Hand of Fate – Chap 1: Somewhere I Belong**

Richard Grayson gritted his teeth and tried to control his temper as he glared at the man who was seated across from him.

"It's my life. I don't want to be in a private school, especially in Gotham. Why can't I transfer?"

The seated man raised a coffee mug off of the mahogany desk in front of his chair. He focused his attention on the mug and took a small sip before answering.

"Gotham Elite Preparatory School is a prestigious private school with an advanced educational system. The school is ranked number one for its high status and expectations of their students. Other schools are not known for-"

"Their self righteous, over-paid teachers who only care about how much money is in their paychecks funded by parents of stuck-up, snobbish, spoiled brats who only care about themselves," Richard interrupted. He read the pamphlet; he didn't need another detailed description on how "great" the school was.

The man at the desk smirked and replied, "Then you will fit in just fine."

Richard's eyes widened behind his signature dark sunglasses for a moment before he glared at the man again and opened his mouth to fire off a comeback. But before he could even say anything, he was interrupted.

"Dick, we are not going to discuss this anymore. You will be attending Gotham Elite Preparatory. School starts Monday." The man at the desk turned his chair around and diverted his attention to some papers, indicating that the conversation is over.

Red-faced and beyond mad, Richard stormed out of the office and into the hallway. He saw Alfred standing outside of the office door holding a tray of food for Bruce but he was too pissed off at Bruce to even acknowledge Alfred. However, Alfred had heard every word of the conversation between the two.

"Master Dick, Master Bruce means well. He simply cares about your well-being," Alfred said as Richard passed him.

Richard scoffed and continued to make his way upstairs. "Yea well, he has a funny way of showing it."

Alfred furrowed his perfectly symmetrical waxed eyebrows and tried to reason with young Master Dick again, "Master Bruce wishes for you to have a good education and a good fut-"

"Whatever Alfred, I don't want to talk about it. I'll be in my room. I don't want to be disturbed," Richard cut Alfred off from one of his famously long lectures. He wasn't in the mood to deal with Alfred trying to mend things between him and Bruce. Although Alfred was Wayne Manor's butler, he was more like a grandfather to Richard.

Alfred opened his mouth to try and talk to Master Dick again but thought better of it and responded, "Very well, Master Dick." Alfred watched Master Dick climb up the rest of the stairs and go into his room and then slam the door shut. He sighed and shook his head as he walked into the office to give Master Bruce his evening meal.

Upstairs, Richard collapsed onto his bed and glared at the ceiling. He hated Bruce. Bruce always tried to control everything in his life. Although Bruce was his adoptive guardian, Richard felt Bruce was his personal dictator. He felt like he couldn't make a single move without Bruce's stamp of approval. Richard gritted his teeth. He was 16 years old for god sake; certainly old enough to make most of his own decisions regarding his own life! He shouldn't have to deal with Bruce and his dominating ways.

Richard threw a pillow across his room in a fit of anger. He heard a crash as it hit something on his dresser and made it fall. He didn't care though. He was so sick of living here with Bruce. He felt he couldn't breathe, he couldn't be himself. He looked around his large room. Physically, it wasn't so bad. Wayne Manor was one of the best places to live. Its expensive décor and large living space made the mansion look more like a castle instead of a home. Not to mention the private, half mile pathway leading up to the Manor and the many rooms inside of the Manor itself. But, Richard felt out of place here, even though he knew it was better than most homes. His parents would have been glad to hear he was living here, in a good home. He looked over at the framed picture of his parents and his eyes widened.

"Oh No, NO! Damn!" Richard quickly crossed his room to his dresser where he saw what his pillow hit. A framed, old photograph had fallen to the floor and shattered upon impact. He carefully lifted the old photo from the glass and looked at it. Three people in colorful unitards smiled back at him; a woman with dark brown hair in a bun and bright blue eyes, a man with disheveled black hair and brown eyes, and a little boy with messy black hair and piercing blue eyes. A circus tent was in the background. Richard stared at the picture and thought about his old life back at Haley's Circus, back with his parents. He missed them. But they were gone and he felt alone in the world.

Richard sighed and put the picture down on his dresser. He went into his walk-in closet and took out a red backpack and tossed it on his bed. Richard started to throw random clothes into the bag and a few other items, including the heavy duty lock from his safe and a wad of money from inside the safe. He went back into his closet and took out an antique bo staff that one of his old karate mentors gave him and tossed that into the bag as well. Lastly, Richard removed a loose board from the floor of his closet. A small, engraved box lay under the loose floor board in his closet. He walked out of his closet and took the old photograph off of his dresser and looked at it one more time. He opened the engraved box and put the picture inside and closed it. He then put the box in his backpack and zipped it up. Richard lifted the bag and put it over his shoulder and headed for the door. Before leaving, he looked around his room for what felt like the last time. 'Time to find somewhere I belong' he thought and left his room and headed to the garage. Richard thankfully didn't run into Alfred on his way to the garage and proceeded down the steps to where his motorcycle was. After making sure his backpack was secure on his back, Richard put on his red helmet, turned on his bike, and sped off toward his future.


End file.
